Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

Large-scale demonstrations erupted across France on Wednesday as protesters sought to disrupt daily life and challenge President Emmanuel Macron’s administration, coinciding with the first full day in office of new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. The protests, organised under the banner “Bloquons Tout” (“Block Everything”), saw participants block roads, set fires and clash with police in Paris and other major cities. The movement, which began online earlier this year and gained momentum over the summer, had called for a day of nationwide disruption in opposition to government austerity measures and broader grievances over economic inequality. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirmed that…

President Donald Trump has delivered a sombre address from the Oval Office following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, describing the incident as a “dark moment for America” and blaming the “radical Left” for fostering an environment of political violence. In a four-minute video posted to his Truth Social platform, the President expressed grief and outrage at the killing, which occurred earlier in the day on a university campus in Utah. Kirk, aged 31, was shot in the neck while speaking to students as part of his “American Comeback Tour”. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Kirk, founder of…

Poland has requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council in response to what it describes as an unprecedented Russian drone attack on its territory.

FBI Director Kash Patel is accused of unlawfully dismissing senior Bureau officials on the orders of the Trump administration in an alleged effort to transform the agency into a political instrument of the White House, according to a federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday.

The Duke of Sussex met King Charles at Clarence House on Wednesday, marking their first face-to-face encounter in 19 months. The private meeting, which lasted 54 minutes, followed Prince Harry’s public expression of hope for reconciliation with his family during a BBC interview in May. Harry, 40, arrived at Clarence House in a black Range Rover at 5.20pm after visiting the Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London earlier in the day. He departed at 6.14pm before attending an Invictus Games reception at the Gherkin, where he told reporters his father was “great”. Addressing guests at the reception,…

Charlie Kirk, the conservative political activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on Wednesday during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University. He was 31. President Donald Trump announced the news on his Truth Social platform, describing Kirk as a key figure in the Republican Party’s populist turn in the social media era. Kirk rose to prominence in the aftermath of the Tea Party movement, his influence growing alongside Trump’s political ascent. In 2012, at the age of 18, he co-founded Turning Point USA, an organisation aimed at mobilising young conservative voters. Through a network of…

Larry Ellison has overtaken Elon Musk to become the world’s richest individual after shares in Oracle, the database software giant he co-founded, soared by more than 40 per cent on Wednesday. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Ellison’s fortune rose by an unprecedented $101 billion in a single day, reaching $393 billion. Musk’s wealth, largely tied to Tesla, stood at $385 billion. Ellison, 81, was born in 1944 to an unmarried mother and adopted by his aunt and uncle. He did not meet his biological mother until the age of 44. He studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign…

Sébastien Lecornu has been appointed France’s fifth prime minister in two years, assuming office on Wednesday against a backdrop of widespread anti-government demonstrations that underscored the country’s deepening political crisis. Lecornu, a conservative ally of President Emmanuel Macron and former defence minister, arrived at the Hôtel de Matignon at midday to meet his predecessor, François Bayrou. Bayrou was removed from office by parliament on Monday following controversy over plans to reduce France’s substantial budget deficit. In his first remarks, Lecornu pledged a “profound break” with previous administrations and promised to outline his political approach “in the coming days”. He said…

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has urged the suspension of free trade with Israel, citing Europe’s “painful” inability to respond effectively to the war in Gaza and the resulting humanitarian crisis.

A South Korean court has overturned the 1965 conviction of Choi Mal-ja, a woman who was found guilty six decades ago of causing grievous bodily harm after biting off part of a man’s tongue during an alleged sexual assault. The Busan District Court ruled on Wednesday that Choi’s actions constituted justifiable self-defence under South Korean law. The incident occurred in 1964 when Choi, then 19, was attacked by a 21-year-old man in the southern town of Gimhae. According to court records, the man pinned her to the ground and repeatedly forced his tongue into her mouth, at one point obstructing…